II Peter 1:7
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and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
"And in your godliness brotherly kindness"; not suffering your godliness to be moroseness, nor a sullen solitary habit of life, but kind, generous, and courteous [ALFORD]. Your natural affection and brotherly kindness are to be sanctified by godliness. "And in your brotherly kindness love," namely, to all men, even to enemies, in thought, word, and deed. From brotherly kindness we are to go forward to love. Compare Th1 3:12, "Love one toward another (brotherly kindness), and toward all men (charity)." So charity completes the choir of graces in Col 3:14. In a retrograde order, he who has love will exercise brotherly kindness; he who has brotherly kindness will feel godliness needful; the godly will mix nothing stoical with his patience; to the patient, temperance is easy; the temperate weighs things well, and so has knowledge; knowledge guards against sudden impulse carrying away its virtue [BENGEL].
Open source ↗In this chapter we have, I. An introduction, or preface, making way for, and leading to, what is principally designed by the apostle (Pe2 1:1-4). II. An exhortation to advance and improve in all Christian graces (Pe2 1:5-7). III. To enforce this exhortation, and engage them seriously and heartily to comply with it, he adds, 1. A representation of the very great advantage which will thereby accrue to them (Pe2 1:8-11). 2. A promise of the best assistance the apostle was able to give to facilitate and forward this good work (Pe2 1:12-15). 3. A declaration of the certain truth and divine origin of the gospel of Christ, in the grace whereof they were exhorted to increase and persevere.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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Continue in brotherly love.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows,
And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.
By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.
Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.